The Palace of Rabanastre: Grand Hall
A/N: It's funny but I have absolutely no idea where this is going – it's quite exciting to write as even I don't know how the pirate and the former princess are going to wriggle out of the mess they've made!
Ladies and Gentlemen, citizens of Dalmasca, this is the crime of which Balthier Sky Pirate stands accused. This man once risked his life for a country not his own and a Queen he owed no fealty to and was, as such, granted the trust of our sovereign and her gratitude, yet he returned to Dalmasca to rob her, to trick her, and defraud her people.
The humourless little man's words reverberated around Balthier's skull. He had to admit the man was good and so, it appeared, was Ashe. His Queen had learned a little deviousness since they'd travelled together.
Balthier would have been more impressed had he not been a victim of this new slanted thinking on her majesty's part.
The fact that he was now forced to defend himself against these preposterous charges, which amounted to little more than the spite of a woman who felt herself scorned, left him swallowing down a frisson of pure rage as he gathered his thoughts and pasted a smile upon his face.
He looked up and met her majesty's eyes, opening his mouth and preparing to give breath to his opening words. He had worked out fairly swiftly, once her man had started expounding on broken trust and fallen heroes, what Ashe's game was and a fuse of anger inside him had lit.
Yet when he met those storm tossed eyes, he found himself faltering. Ashe was a creature of passions, she had little subtlety to her, as was apparent by her current attire, which while certainly appreciated, was hardly what one might call understated. She was fire and ice and love and hate, diametrically different to his own muddled palette in shades of moral ambiguity.
Looking into her eyes now he saw so clearly what went on behind her stoic, almost vacant, expression. It scared him more than anything had ever scared him in his life, and he included facing down his deranged father in that assessment.
She was in love with him and perfectly prepared to fight for him, even if that meant fighting against him to do so. Ashe was not a woman to say no to lightly; and what's more she had trapped him.
Balthier had absolutely no idea how he was to free himself from these emotional and metaphorical bonds. He almost hated Ashe for trapping him so.
But he knew he was trapped not only by her machinations but by his lingering -affection – (he could not even formulate the word love inside his own mind. Pirates did not love, ergo, he could not love her, regardless of any feelings to the contrary he might be currently experiencing) for Dalmasca's ill-tempered majesty.
Balthier felt his smirk slide into place as he deliberately turned his back on Ashe and looked over the sundry assembled Bangaa, Seeq, Moogle, Viera and Humes that created the Rabanastre melting pot.
Regardless of emotional tumult and uncomfortable issues regarding romantic expectations, the leading man must always put on a show, and he had never seen a better stage than this one.
'Ladies and Gentlemen, good citizens of Dalmasca,'
He addressed the pews letting his gaze wander up to the public galleries on the mezzanine floors of the grand hall as he nonchalantly strolled across the floor until he was standing almost directly in front of the first pew to the right side of the hall.
Knowing he had the full attention of the crowds he fiddled with his left cuff with apparent unconcern and flicked his gaze sideways to see Ashe fighting a scowl up on her monstrously tasteless throne.
' This is quite a rum do, isn't it?' He spoke almost conversationally, it was just that he was having a one sided conversation with approximately five hundred people.
Balthier started to stroll the length of the pew, trailing his gloved hand over the front barrier as he moved to stand in the aisle, the best position to allow everyone in the hall to see him properly.
'I must confess I find myself quite at a loss.' He continued in the same cheerful, conversational tones.
The weedy little Chief Justice had taken the dramatic approach, hammering the audience (he would not view this gathered rabble as a jury when this whole fiasco of a trial was nothing less than public theatre) with long words and emotive questions that made a mockery of the supposed impartiality of the law.
' I came here today expecting to defend myself against a relatively simple accusation of forgery and now find myself reviled and maligned in most unexpected fashion. I am, apparently, liar and betrayer most foul, it would seem.'
He shot a laughing glance towards the Chief Justice and nodded his head ironically towards the melodramatic little bureaucrat.
'He gives a good speech, does he not?' He inquired of the audience. 'I for one found it quite thrilling, but then I have always enjoyed a good work of fiction.'
The Chief Justice twitched in suppressed outrage and Balthier smothered a broader smirk.
'You see it is quite extraordinary to myself to find that I am accused of slinking into your fair country and,' he paused as if in thought, 'what were the exact words?'
He made a show of considering and then let his sharp smile slip free, 'Oh, yes, of robbing, tricking and defrauding a queen and her entire population.'
Balthier, half way down the aisle of pews, looked up at the gathered of Rabanastre that leaned over the marble banisters of the galleries to gape at this laughable spectacle, he fixed his eyes on one apple cheeked girl who looked vaguely like Penelo had two years ago, and winked.
' I must be the greatest Sky Pirate that ever lived to have managed to so thoroughly infiltrate this city, spreading my vile criminality as I go; to have robbed and tricked and defrauded each and every one of you without even once setting foot in Rabanastre since her liberation.'
The audience shifted nervously and a few titters floated down from the galleries, Balthier smiled slyly.
' I'm sure the Chief Justice will confirm this fact, as he has been so even handed in his summation of my character thus far.' He added examining the fit of his glove on his left hand.
The Chief Justice stood stiffly immobile by his bench, piles of paper gathered in neat stacks, Balthier sauntered across the left hand side of the hall, almost able to feel, as a physical weight, the eyes of the audience following his passage.
'I freely admit to the title of Sky Pirate, in fact, I happen to be a bloody good one. One of the very best, I dare say.'
A number of surprised, vaguely scandalised, chuckles rose up from the pews as he swept back up the front of the aisle towards Ashe who sat rigidly still in her throne. She may as well have been carved from marble for all the animation in her expression.
'I am certainly guilty of robbing, stealing, cheating and defrauding my way around Ivalice.'
He chuckled as around him exclamations of shock at his disclosure set the entire hall to murmurs and gasps.
Balthier had seen enough of Ivalice's shameless heart to know that there was nothing the common folk liked more than an unrepentant rogue, a role he rather enjoyed playing to the hilt, as happy coincidence had it.
He kept his eyes on Ashe and saw a spark of either amusement or anger, perhaps both, ignite briefly in her grey, usually solemn eyes in response to his last statement.
'However I have never trespassed against the good name of her Majesty Queen Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca. I have never betrayed her Highness, or perpetrated harm to her people. If there has been a betrayal of trust here, it is not on my part.'
The humour left his tone as he locked gazes with Ashe, this was the truth. He failed to see how his actions could be construed as a betrayal of the - association – they had enjoyed during their little excursion against the Occuria.
He was a Sky Pirate. Sky Pirate's stole and smuggled contraband and traded in the black markets, it was what they did. Did she think he and Fran spent all their time poking about decrepit ruins for the odd shiny trinket?
What had Ashe thought he would do after the liberation? Beg her for a position on her serving staff as she had granted Vaan and Penelo? Hang up his flying leathers and remain her faithful peon ever more?
He prepared to address the waiting audience again but kept his eyes solely on Ashe, she had brought this on herself. She could have simply let him go. He would not regret what he said next, nor save her from the consequences.
'Her majesty was well aware of my profession during the time we travelled together; in fact she engaged my services in her endeavours over two years ago with the full knowledge of my chosen vocation.'
Balthier declared, refusing to relinquish his hold on her gaze even as he saw Ashe's eyes widen as she realised what he was about to say.
'Her Majesty required transportation to the Sandsea and offered in payment the treasure of Raithwall's Tomb.'
The hall exploded in shock, the large chamber soon filled to bursting with the insidious hissing of scandalized whispers.
He raised his voice to be heard over the hall, Balthier had held hostage entire ballrooms filled with drunken Rozzarian revellers and knew well how to capture the attention of a rambunctious audience.
' I am left to wonder that her Majesty suffers such a sense of betrayal in regards my actions, as she once wilfully threw open the doors of her country's greatest ancient tomb for a known sky pirate to take what he pleased.'
Ashe looked ready to launch herself from her throne and behead him herself, Balthier made sure the smirk and wink he gave her could not be seen by their excitable audience.
Her Highness assumed the pot was hers, but this pirate still had a few tricks up his sleeve yet.
Balthier deliberately and confidently turned his back on her, which was somewhat akin to turning one's back on a Couerl ready to pounce, but Balthier had always had an unhealthy disregard for his own safety.
'I would also point out in my own defence that I took not one shiny coin nor pretty trinket from the Tomb and stayed at her Majesty's side throughout her venture, to the great detriment of my personal fortunes both material and otherwise.'
He let his wry smirk slip free deliberately and was gratified by the guffaws of laughter that greeted his tongue-in-cheek confession from the upper galleries.
Though Balthier was silver spoon aristocracy to the very marrow of his bones, he had rubbed shoulders with the lower classes long enough to know that it was the angry mob you needed to win over in any point of contention, not the toffs.
'Therefore ladies and gentlemen of Dalmasca I plead not guilty to all the charges brought against me. I am no traitor, and while as I am a thief and a sometime user of the more obscure truths,'
He waited for the expected sniggers at his careful use of language, well understood by crooked vendors and habitual liars throughout Ivalice, before continuing.
'And I have been known as a purveyor of high quality counterfeit merchandise; I have honoured my true and noble love for her Majesty Ashelia B'Nargin Dalmasca and have never trespassed against her or her people.'
He put as much earnest sincerity into his voice as he could muster, and found that most of the sentiment he infused into his words was genuine.
Alright, he had made the Licence that had landed him in this mess, but that had been a one off, other than that he had stayed clear of Dalmasca in respect for Ashe.
It was time, he decided, for a little melodrama, because the masses love a bit of drama, don't they?
Moving with a flourish of contrite emotionalism, while still remaining conscious of his audience and the need to maintain a sense of grace and decorum to this particular side-show, he moved swiftly up the first two steps of Ashe's dais.
Ashe's eyes widened fractionally and she had to stop herself from saying anything. In the periphery of his awareness Balthier was aware of Vaan caught in a quandary of indecision as he hesitated to move to his Queen's side and possible defence, as Balthier deliberately invaded her Majesty's personal space.
With the sonorous hiss of the audience's excited whispers at his back and aware of the guards moving in cautiously from all sides, Balthier dropped with theatrical slowness to his knees with utmost penitence and grasped Ashe's hand in his.
'Your Highness, I have never wronged you, that you could believe such heinous acts of my person is a wound to my very soul.'
He declared boldly, keeping his head bowed over her hand, which was rigid in his own. He could almost feel Ashe twitching with suppressed rage. He could also feel the power of a captivated audience at his back.
The people of Dalmasca had no doubt hoped for a little excitement and scandal from this trial but he would give them a performance of epic proportions.
In voice set a-quiver with carefully contrived emotion and faux sincerity he continued his deliberately ambiguous declaration, knowing Ashe would recognise the barb to his words but was currently powerless to do a thing against him, whether that meant slapping him silly or stringing him up in chains.
'Your Majesty I hold you in the highest of esteem, please allow me to prove to you, without shadow of doubt, that I am as much your loyal servant as ever I was when we travelled together.'
Titillated gasps filled the hall as he bravely and very visibly laid a flamboyant kiss to the back of her hand and her signet ring. Ashe's assorted ladies in waiting tittered and swooned and Balthier raised his eyes, challengingly, to his Queen.
The look of livid fury burning in her eyes was more precious to him at that moment than a mountain of gold and jewels. Vengeance he found was indeed sweet.
' Well, Princess,' he purred so low that only she would hear him, his lips hovering over her hand he still held captive in his, causing his breath to tickle over her skin.
'It is your move now.'